Although electric cars are a great idea, limitations in driving range and the length of time it takes to fully charge them has kept drivers hesitant. Until now.

Apparently, Nissan has managed to solve one of the two pressing issues by developing an experimental system that can fully charge the battery in ten minutes, compared to the average 30 minutes it normally takes.

Japan’s Nikkei news agency reported the news and they mentioned that the new system incorporates a capacitor in which the electrode is made from a combination of tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide, instead of traditional carbon.

It is said that this change will boost the power of the charger by leaps and bounds, allowing it to charge an EV battery in such a short time span.

The charger is half the size of Nissan’s existing fast-charger and it is rumored to work with batteries from multiple manufacturers. However, they say that it could take up to another decade before it hits the streets as it is only in a developmental stage at the moment, which makes estimating a release date near to impossible.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/10/13/nissan-developing-the-10-minute-ev-charger/feed/0Lithium Imide batteries are like Lithium Ion on steroidshttp://www.mobilemag.com/2011/07/29/lithium-imide-batteries-are-like-lithium-ion-on-steroids/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/07/29/lithium-imide-batteries-are-like-lithium-ion-on-steroids/#commentsFri, 29 Jul 2011 19:08:34 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=119871Some years ago, the creation of Li-Ion batteries lead to a considerable technological progress, thanks to which we can now use laptops for hours and telephones for days without charging them. Still, the Li-Io batteries had their flaws: tendency to explode, susceptibility to heat and degradation, some cells losing up to 50% of capacity within 300-500 charges. The battery juice is limited and in most cases Lithium batteries last less than a couple of years.

From NiMH cells to Li-Ion batteries and now one step ahead to Lithium Imide technology.

Some years ago, the creation of Li-Ion batteries lead to a considerable technological progress, thanks to which we can now use laptops for hours and telephones for days without charging them. Still, the Li-Ion batteries had their flaws: tendency to explode, susceptibility to heat and degradation, some cells losing up to 50% of capacity within 300-500 charges. The battery juice is limited and in most cases, Lithium batteries last less than a couple of years.

The new Lithium Imide technology promises to overcome these limitations and dysfunctions. It has been developed by Leyden Energy and apparently, they could last over three years, stand more than 1000 charge cycles, has a better battery juice and could still work at the level of its capacity even when the battery is near the end of its lifespan.

“We can take any traditional lithium ion that’s out there and extend the number of cycles,” or charges before it degrades, CEO Aakar Patel told Business Insider.

Why? The new technology from Leyden Energy uses a patented salt in the electrolytes, thus it withstands heat better than the Li-Ion batteries and it doesn’t react with moisture. The traditional aluminum has been replaced with conductive graphitic foil in order to reach an increased heat tolerance.

“Even if you use your battery every single day for three years you’re still going to have 80% of your initial capacity remaining”, said Leyden Energy’s Vice President R&D and Engineering, Marc Juzkow.

]]>http://www.mobilemag.com/2011/07/29/lithium-imide-batteries-are-like-lithium-ion-on-steroids/feed/4Game Changer: First public quick-charge station for EVs installed in Portlandhttp://www.mobilemag.com/2010/08/12/game-changer-first-public-quick-charge-station-for-evs-installed-in-portland/ http://www.mobilemag.com/2010/08/12/game-changer-first-public-quick-charge-station-for-evs-installed-in-portland/#commentsThu, 12 Aug 2010 16:22:18 +0000http://www.mobilemag.com/?p=93315The day will soon come when you are driving your Nissan Leaf or other electric vehicle, running low on juice and need to power up stat. You’re no where near your home, have a meeting in less than an hour and running on a 5% charge. Your standard recharging station will take at least 4 hours to get anything on the meter, until now.

The day will soon come when you are driving your Nissan Leaf or other electric vehicle, running low on juice and need to power up stat. You’re no where near your home, have a meeting in less than an hour and running on a 5% charge. Your standard recharging station will take at least 4 hours to get anything on the meter, until now.

A Takasago Rapid Charging Station has been awarded public use certification, what this means is they can now be installed anywhere they are needed. The first one has been dropped in at the World Trade Center, Portland, Oregon. The quick-charge station will top up an electric vehicle’s battery to 80% capacity in around 20-30 minutes. That’s a big boost for lithium-ion battery packs which traditionally take 4-8 hours of charging, typically an overnight thing. This station outputs 50kw (50-500V, 0-125A), supports power inputs of AC 200V±30V and is considered to be a “level 2” charging station. Level 1s are the overnighters.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski plugs in the all-electric Nissan LEAF to the nation's first publicly available quick-charge station at Portland General Electric headquarters in Portland, Oregon. (Photo: Business Wire)

“With the addition of the Takasago Rapid Charging Station to the growing network of EV charging stations in Oregon, we are able to further our research on how this new technology will interact with our electrical system and support our EV-driving customers.” said Portland General Electric’s president and CEO Jim Piro.

Now that rapid charging stations are available to the public, I don’t see why any automobile manufacturers should hold back on production; so long as our grids can keep up with it. “This is a big milestone for the electric vehicle and a big tipping point for the automobile industry” added Piro.

Portland General Electric Opens North America’s First Public-Use Quick-Charge Station for Electric Vehicles in Collaboration with NECElectric Vehicles Can Charge up in 20 to 30 Minutes PORTLAND, Ore.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR), Oregon’s largest utility, and NEC Corporation (NEC) (TOKYO:6701), a leading network, communications and information technology company, announced today they have opened North America’s first public-use, quick-charge station for electric vehicles. “Partnering with NEC to bring the nation’s first publicly available, quick-charge station to Oregon further solidifies PGE’s commitment to developing the infrastructure needed to support electric vehicles now coming to the U.S. market”

The station was awarded public-use certification by the City of Portland following the successful installation and testing of the station manufactured by Takasago Ltd., a subsidiary of NEC, at the PGE headquarters in the Two World Trade Center parking garage, 121 SW Salmon St, Portland, Ore. The Takasago Rapid Charging Station is specialized for recharging electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries and requires only 20 to 30 minutes to recharge a battery to 80 percent of full strength.

PGE and NEC officially opened the quick-charge station today with Governor Ted Kulongoski, who charged up an all-electric Nissan LEAF, during a two-day LEAF test drive event at PGE. Portland and the state of Oregon have been designated as top-tier launch markets for the Nissan LEAF when it goes on sale in the United States in December.

“Quick-charging stations are an exciting advancement in our effort to bring electric vehicles to Oregon,” said Gov. Kulongoski. “By making charging convenient and available for public use, we are telling car manufacturers that Oregon is ready for the next generation of electric vehicles — and we want our state to be a leader in introducing these cars to the rest of the country.” “Partnering with NEC to bring the nation’s first publicly available, quick-charge station to Oregon further solidifies PGE’s commitment to developing the infrastructure needed to support electric vehicles now coming to the U.S. market,” said Jim Piro, president and CEO, PGE.

“With the addition of the Takasago Rapid Charging Station to the growing network of EV charging stations in Oregon, we are able to further our research on how this new technology will interact with our electrical system and support our EV-driving customers,” Piro added.

“This project reflects NEC’s ongoing commitment to the development of new infrastructure that utilizes renewable resources. As a supplier of electric vehicle batteries, our introduction of the rapid electric vehicle charging station is a natural stage in the evolution of NEC’s environmentally friendly solutions,” said Hideki Niwaya, general manager, Public Utility Solutions Division, NEC. “Looking forward, NEC aims to continue developing mission critical solutions, including information and communications technologies (ICT) services and smart grids that represent the latest in technological innovation.” The Takasago Rapid Charging Station complies with the “CHAdeMO,” a global EV charging standard developed in Japan. The station provides power output of 50kw (50-500V, 0-125A) and supports power input of AC200V±30V.

PGE’s alliance partner, Portland State University, and the Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium will document the acquisition, installation, certification, and testing procedures for this quick charger and release its findings in September.